SWTOR - Death of a Master
by nobarawolfgirl
Summary: Spoilers! This is from chapter 1 of the Jedi Knight storyline when the character witnesses a certain person's death...
1. Orgus' PoV

The pain throbbed within the Jedi Master from the blows of the Sith. His defeat fueled the Sith's hate, which spread to all corners of the room. He had been discovered on the cruiser, and was now crouched on the floor of the main communications room clutching his pounding chest. At sixty years old and longtime Jedi Master, Orgus Din was slightly surprised at his own underestimation of the Sith Lord. He knew the battle would be difficult, but Darth Angral had grown stronger with age instead of weaker, something the Jedi could not say about himself. Now he was trapped and rendered helpless at the hands of his sworn enemy. Smooth footsteps walked up the left side of him, and Orgus heard a series of beeping sounds as the holocommunicator in front of him powered up.

"Assaulting my cruiser alone. Very carless of you, Orgus Din," Darth Angral stated darkly, almost threatening the Jedi master.

Master Orgus sensed a spark of light in the Force, although it was very distant. He glanced to the side and saw the pixelated image of his former padawan on the holocommunicator.

_Sayje. _

It only took a moment for Orgus Din to figure out the Sith's plan. There was only one reason Darth Angral would be having Sayje watch their conversation; he was not going to leave this cruiser alive.

"It's not too late Angral. Do the right thing, for once. Surrender," Orgus begged.

He knew it was futile, but if Sayje was going to be forced to watch him die, he had to stay strong...for her.

"Pity you didn't bring your student. I could kill you both," Angral taunted.

Master Orgus quickly buried his spark of anger at the teasing comment, taking in a painful breath to calm himself. Even if Sayje had been there, he would never have allowed Darth Angral to kill her. He loved and cared for his former padawan too much, and would rather let an old Jedi like himself die than see her young life ended. She held so much potential, and he had forseen great things from her the moment he started training her.  
Peering into the Force, he could see emotions running ragged through Sayje, something a Jedi was not supposed to allow. She was oblivious and too overwhelmed to notice her master's presence within her light of the Force. Fear, despair, helplessness and anger raged through his padawan's mind.

_Sayje…why do you let your emotions show? The Sith will try to use them against you to turn you to the Dark side._

Darth Angral turned his back to Orgus, and the Jedi found the strength too slowly, and painfully, stand up. He glanced towards the holocom, and immediately wished he hadn't. Sayje was staring directly at him, and as he looked into her eyes, Orgus wished he had listened to her when he had called her via holocom earlier. Right now, he would give anything to have his former padawan in his arms one last time and hold her close. A familiar buzz filled the air, grabbing Orgus' attention as he saw a red lightsaber appear in the Sith's hand.

"Tell me, Jedi. Are you afraid to die?" Angral hissed.

The final seconds on the clock started ticking.

"There is no death. There is only the Force," the Jedi replied calmly.

Words he had told Sayje many times before, and it seemed only fitting that she hear them from him one last time.

"If there is no death…where is my son?" the Sith snarled bitterly.

Orgus felt a burning pain in his chest, paralyzing him. He was thrown backwards by the Force and crashed into the ground, unable to move. Fiery agony raged through the rest of his body. Cloudiness rolled through the Jedi's mind within seconds, and weariness overtook him as he lay there. He had only a few seconds left, and longed to hear Sayje's voice one last time.

"No!"

Though familiar, it was not Sayje that spoke, but her padawan, Kira. The Force was overtaking Orgus, trying to separate him from his earthly bonds. Memories of Sayje flooded the old Jedi master's mind: meeting her for the first time in the Flesh Raider caves, watching her excel at her trials, training her as his padawan, working alongside the finest Sentinel he'd met in years, discovering the happiness of romance as their relationship flourished and bloomed.

The Force came crashing in again, and this time Orgus could not resist.

_I'm sorry, Sayje, but at least I got to see you one last time…_

The last thing he felt was darkness emitting from Sayje as his eyelids fluttered shut, and he was released into the threads of the Force.


	2. Sayje's PoV

The dim hallway glowed red as the two Jedi walked through the Thul building. There was no light emitting from the Force here, for the darkness of the Empire has poisoned and shut out its brightness. Hate, revenge, anger, suffering, all feelings of the Dark Side emitted from the very walls of this place, and the Jedi had to rely heavily on the Force to keep themselves calm and focused on their mission. They entered a large room with red Imperial flags on either side of the archway. A raised metal platform stood in front of them with two ramps on either side to walk up. Lord Nefarid, the Sith apprentice they had been tracking, was nowhere to be seen, but his foul presence was strong. The Jedi Sentinel scanned the platform for signs of Nefarid or any more Imperial guards.

_I don't see anyone…._

The Sentinel, Sayje, glanced into the Force and saw a tiny dot of light emitting from the platform in front of them. Sure enough, a distant yet familiar feel emitted from the spot. Sayje and her padawan, Kira Carsen, walked up the ramp where there was what appeared to be a large holocommunicator. As they approached it, a scratchy voice came from the darkness overhead.

"You truly are a stubborn one. Won't be satisfied until you've completely inconvenienced me, will you?"

_Nefarid._

Seyje looked up to the ceiling and saw nothing but darkness and the shadows of metal beams.

"Come out from the shadows and face justice," she demanded.

Nothing happened, as she was expecting. The Sith spoke again.

"My master is transmitting the most amusing holomessage right now. You really should watch it with me…"

Sayje felt a dark tremor snake through the back of her mind as Lord Nefarid used the Force to turn on the holocommunicator from his hiding place. Two pixel figures appeared; one was crouching on the ground holding their hand to their chest and the other was standing behind them. Chills crept up Sayje's back as she recognized the one on the ground.

_Master Orgus!_

"Assaulting my cruiser alone. Very carless of you, Orgus Din," the Sith stated darkly, almost threatening the Jedi master.

The Jedi master was clearly injured and in no state to fight back. Fear sprang up inside the Sayje, an emotion she usually could control. Not this time. This wasn't just another padawan in danger; this was her master. Her master. He was at the mercy of his enemy, and Sayje could do nothing but watch as the Sith's plan began to unfold.

"It's not too late Angral. Do the right thing, for once. Surrender," Orgus begged.

That tone of voice. No, it couldn't be. That voice sounded like her Master had already given up. A spike of despair planted itself in the Sentinel's chest. Darth Angral turned to the holocommunicator.

"Pity you didn't bring your student. I could kill you both."

Sayje's anger flared. Did that Sith honestly think he could defeat her, the Jedi who brought down his entire Planet Desolator project in one fell swoop? She hadn't wanted to kill Tarnis, but he had left her no choice. The angry flame began to subside as Sayje realized the severity of the situation. At this point, it was very likely Master Orgus wasn't going to escape from the Sith – he could barely move. Any hope she had of rescuing him dwindled and turned to fear. She shifted uncomfortably, and her eyes darted from the Sith lord to her master as he shakily got to his feet. Master Orgus looked at Sayje, and their eyes locked. His face was expressionless, but she could see the torment behind his eyes. All the memories they had together started to replay in the Jedi's mind at lightning speed – every touch, every word, every kiss, everything. Instinctively, she knew what was going to happen and just had yet to realize it. The air buzzed with the sound of a lightsaber as Darth Angral ignited his symbolic red weapon.

"Tell me, Jedi. Are you afraid to die?" he hissed.

Sayje froze, her thoughts grinding to a halt. Die? It took a second for the unthinkable to fully register in her mind, and she gasped.

_No…_

"There is no death. There is only the Force," Master Orgus replied calmly.

The surrender in his voice matched his tone from a few moments ago, and the words and triggered a whole new level of fear and helplessness inside the Jedi.

_No, master please..._

"If there is no death…" Angral hissed bitterly, "…where is my son?"

As the Sith said this, he turned and stabbed Orgus in the chest with his lightsaber, pushing him backwards with the Force. The Jedi Master fell to the ground with a sickening thump and became motionless.

Time stopped. The tiny threads of light within the Force screeched and shook violently at the sudden disturbance, fighting against the darkness. The gaping void that was left somehow managed to exist within the black cloud of the Dark side.

Sayje's soul shattered as the emptiness within the Force rocked through her body, and she collapsed to her knees.

"No!" Kira Carsen cried out in anguish, burying her face in her hands.

_It can't be…_

Sayje couldn't even speak. Her throat closed up, cutting off her voice. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall. Her world had just been destroyed right in front of her, and there was nothing she could've done. Before she could give into the despair looming over her, a scratchy voice pulled her back into reality.

"And now I'll finish you. After all, you can't fight what you can't see," Lord Nefarid taunted.

The Jedi stood, clasping her hands in front of her face as she closed her eyes.

_Focus Sayje. Remain calm. Remain…_

The image of Master Orgus on her holocom suddenly flashed through her mind. He had told Sayje that he needed to tell someone he was boarding Angral's cruiser, just in case…

_Just in case you don't make it back to me._

The thought of not seeing her Master again for a long time had been hard enough to deal with when they had separated at Wardpost Duvaal in the Alsakan Lowlands. Now, never seeing him again had just been made a reality by the Sith. A dark hate swelled inside Sayje. She ignited her twin blue lightsabers and snapped back a response.

"The Force will guide me. You won't escape."

"Let's be done with this. I have a long list of people to kill," Nefarid snarled.

He took a moment to pause, and the Jedi sensed his pride escalate as he spoke again, this time more tauntingly.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The Death Mark laser is finally back online…and it's tracking you."

A red light sparked on Sayje's back, and she barely had enough time to jump out of the way before the laser blasted from the ceiling where she was just standing seconds before. Sayje channeled her blackened emotions towards the Force, and it reverberated them back as focus, heightening her senses. Another blast struck down as Sayje jumped off the platform onto the ground below, where Lord Nefarid finally appeared out of the darkness.

As peaceful memories of Master Orgus flooded her mind, Sayje allowed her hate towards the Sith to weaken. The void within the Force, as well as the focus power it was providing, fueled her determination for victory. She stood up as Lord Nefarid's double-sided red lightsaber lit up across the room.

_Let's finish this._


	3. Sayje vs Lord Nefarid

Lord Nefarid stood across the room from where Sayje stood, his double-sided lightsaber glowing blood red in the dim light of the cruiser. A burning ache flowed through Sayje like fire, despite her calling upon the Force for calmness.

_Master Orgus…why?_

Her first and only love was gone, murdered in cold blood by Darth Angral. It hadn't mattered to her that she was breaking the Jedi Code; her and Orgus' relationship had been kept a secret, and it was the love that they shared that gave her such power to accomplish what other Jedi could not. The sudden loss of her master's presence within the Force felt like a scorching burn across Sayje's heart.

"You will not escape from me Sith," she threatened. "This time your kind has gone too far."

Nefarid chuckled.

"You know, you're much too passionate for a Jedi. Have you ever considered you're on the wrong side?"

The question shocked the Sentinel. Did he really think that a Jedi like her belonged with the Sith? Anger sparked in her gut.

"How _dare_ you question my loyalties," Sayje snarled.

Using the Force, the Sentinel leapt across the room at Nefarid. Her lightsabers slashed across the floor as he swiftly jumped back. The Sith struck forward, but Sayje was ready and their lightsabers clashed in a flurry of sparks. A voice came from across the room.

"Eat lightsaber, jerk!"

Kira leapt forward to help, but Nefarid used to Force to throw her into a wall, knocking her unconscious. A malicious grin spread across his face as he turned back to the remaining Jedi.

"Are you still up for the challenge? After all, your friend can't help you anymore."

Sayje's eyes narrowed. The pain of Orgus' death and the anger she felt towards the Sith slowly began to turn into a darkening hate. She roared and viciously attacked, this time twice as hard as before. The Sith was taken aback by the Jedi's ferocity, and seemed to be struggling as he dodged her swift lightsabers. The Death Mark laser seemed to be his only relief as Sayje avoided its blasts.

Within moments of fighting, the Jedi no longer felt like herself. Instead of peace, fury raged inside her, consuming and destroying her humanity as images of her Master flashed in her mind. Hate clawed at her soul, threating to tear her apart as blue and yellow met red again.

Sayje fiercely slashed at the Sith, knocking his lightsaber out of his hand. He back-flipped and ran to grab it. Sayje threw her yellow lightsaber, but he knocked it away with the Force and it spun across the floor. Nefarid retrieved his weapon just as Sayje swung, and the blue blade sliced through the double-sided red, leaving the Sith with only a single-sided functioning lightsaber. With a growl of frustration, the Sith spun and slashed at the Jedi, their weapons crackling in the air. He was just as skilled with one lightsaber as he was with two.

The Death Mark laser beeped overhead. Dodging to the left, Sayje used the Force to grab her yellow lightsaber and struck hard at the Sith. He was barely even fazed. The thirst to kill him grew even more at the sound of the Sith's scratchy laugh. The fire of vengeance within her was growing out of control.

Lord Nefarid started advancing on her, pressing back her attacks. Frustrated, Sayje jumped up and kicked out with her leg, hitting the Sith in the chest and knocking him back. His red lightsaber flew out of his hand, and Sayje saw her chance. For an instant, her mind told her to let him live. After all, that would be the Jedi way. Then the billowing hate within her heart was restored. All thoughts of peace, calm, and compassion were vanquished as she dealt the final blow. Lord Nefarid collapsed to his knees, a blue lightsaber through his chest, and fell forward motionless.

The Force burbled gleefully as the darkness that had been holding it captive was destroyed. Like a fog lifting after a storm, the Force shone bright in the room once again. However, Sayje wasn't finished yet. The Death Mark beeped once more, and she jumped to the right to avoid another blast. Glancing around the room, she spotted a small hallway which led to the control room for the weapon. She rushed inside to see a large console. It only took her a few seconds to punch in new coordinates for the laser to target, and she backed away as the Death Mark came blasting down and destroyed itself. Sayje looked at the rubble it left and sighed deeply.

It was over.

The Sentinel slowly walked out of the tiny room back into the vast hall where Nefarid's body lay. Kira was just started to regain conscious. Sayje glanced down at the enemy at her feet. The death of the Sith did not bring her the satisfaction she was expecting. Instead, the void within the Force was now even more obvious than before.

"Master…" Sayje murmured desperately, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

All dark feelings within her vanished like someone blowing out a candle. He was gone, and taking a life in vengeance of his, no matter how good or evil, wasn't going to change anything or bring him back.

Unable to stand, Sayje collapsed to her knees, the tears now flowing freely down her face. She was tired, not only from the battle, but from everything else she had gone through to get to this point. Her unstable emotional state did not help the matter. Soft footsteps approached her from behind.

"I missed all the action, didn't I?"

Kira, thinking Sayje's lack of response meant she was introspecting, glanced down at the Sentinel. The Jedi's stance caught her off guard.

"Sayje?" she asked, her tone laced with worry.

"He's gone Kira…Master Orgus is gone," Sayje whispered bitterly, burying her face in her hands.

The padawan knelt down and put a reassuring hand on her back.

"I know Sayje…and I'm sorry," Kira said.

It wasn't often her padawan was sincere, but Sayje was grateful for her support. There was nothing left she could do right now except continue their mission to stop Darth Angral.

Sayje stood and wiped the tears from her face. She swallowed hard, burying her emotions, and pulled out her personal holocom. Moments later, an image of Wynne Organa appeared in her hand.

"The Death Mark has been destroyed. Your people are safe," she said coolly.

"I will inform Organa Palace immediately. We…are forever in your debt," he replied  
sincerely.

"Duke Thul sent us the spy Aleyna as a show of good faith. She is to stand trial for her crimes. Her testimony will expose the Empire for what it is. No house will ally with them after this."

_Serves the Empire right. _

The image of the red lightsaber through Orgus' chest suddenly flashed in Sayje's mind. Her chest constricted, and she almost excused herself from the conversation, but the news had to be made known if House Organa was ever going to win against the Empire. Sayje took a deep breath to calm her nerves before speaking.

"Darth Angral captured…and murdered…my Jedi Master."

The words came slowly and very painfully, making her mouth feel numb.

"My sympathies," Wynne said sadly. "Master Orgus seemed like a _great_ man."

_If only you knew…_

"Rest assured, I won't let your Master's sacrifice be in vain," he added genuinely. "Be well, Jedi."

The holocom went silent.

"We should head back to the ship. Tell General Var Suthra about Master Orgus," Kira said solemnly.

It was going to be a difficult conversation for both of them, but especially for Sayje. She felt alone, like no one truly knew how hard this was for her. They walked out of the building back towards Pallista Spaceport, and one thought overwhelmed the Sentinel's mind the entire journey.

_I'm sorry Master Orgus…I'm so sorry._


End file.
